In June of this year, the China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital (CPFH) in Gwadar, Balochistan, was officially handed over to the Pakistani side. As a significant livelihood project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), this modern comprehensive hospital, with 150 beds, features an intensive care unit（ICU）, a neonatal intensive care unit（NICU）, and four fully equipped operating rooms. It serves over 900 patients daily and employs nearly 300 local people. Fahad Muhammad, the Pakistani project director of the hospital, stated that there is no second hospital in the entire province of Balochistan that meets international standards like this one, which will benefit the people of Balochistan as a whole. “To get rich, we must first build roads”. China’s over 40 years of reform and opening up have revealed that for a country or region to achieve sustained development and improve people’s lives, upgrading infrastructure is essential. The China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital in Gwadar is a clear example of how the construction of CPEC has boosted the improvement of infrastructure in Balochistan and benefited local people. Since its launch in 2013, the CPEC has brought water and electricity, roads and airports, schools and hospitals to the people of Balochistan, leading to more employment opportunities, improved living conditions, and a promising future. Take Gwadar Port as an example, driven by the construction of CPEC, the port has developed into a multi-purpose terminal with three multi-purpose berths, capable of docking two 50,000-ton cargo ships at the same time. A regular container shipping service has also been launched. The China-assisted Gwadar East Bay Expressway was officially opened in June 2022, creating a transportation link between Gwadar Port and the southern key city of Karachi, enhancing connectivity between Gwadar Port and the economic heartland of Pakistan. The new Gwadar International Airport completed its test flights in June of this year, and when completed, it will form a modern three-dimensional transport network by sea, land and air together with the maritime route of Gwadar Port and the East Bay Expressway. The construction of these new port, road, and airport has transformed the Gwadar region from a remote fishing village into an important regional logistics hub and industrial base. The number of local shops, communication base stations, cold storage facilities, and restaurants has doubled in recent years, and the number of tourists has also doubled, leading to a significant increase in local people’s economic income as the saying goes that “a rising tide lifts all boats”. This demonstrates that the traction effect of infrastructure development on improving people’s livelihoods will be substantial and continuous to be released. In promoting the construction of the CPEC, China focuses on large-scale infrastructure projects that support the long-term development of Balochistan while also carrying out numerous “small yet smart” livelihood assistance projects:
We are committed to providing timely assistance. During the pandemic, the Chinese government provided essential supplies such as rice, flour, and cooking oil to fishermen in Gwadar, effectively alleviating their difficulties. After the floods in 2022, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan promptly distributed relief supplies to 3,000 affected households in the Bugti tribal area, helping them to get through the difficult times. When Balochistan was hit by floods again this year, the Chinese government quickly provided $100,000 in emergency cash assistance and 10,000 solar-powered lighting equipment, endeavouring to alleviate difficulties.
We care about the development of women and children. The Chinese government’s project to donate 20,000 women’s health kits to Balochistan was launched in July, aiming to improve the quality of life and health awareness of local women. The Chinese-aided Gwadar Faqeer School was expanded from a primary school to a primary and middle school with modern teaching facilities, including multi-purpose classrooms, and the original enrolment of 150 students has increased to more than 1,000, which is known as “the school that grows up” by the local people. The Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute at Gwadar focuses on short-term professional training for local workers, with 366 trainees already completed and 145 currently enrolled. Students from Gwadar can attend for free and have the opportunity to study in China in the future.
We provide assistance tailored to local conditions. The Chinese government organized enterprises to donate high-yield hybrid rice seeds to farmers affected by disasters in Balochistan, allowing them to enjoy the joy of a bountiful harvest with “Chinese seeds”. The Central South University of Forestry and Technology in China has cultivated plants such as date palms, figs, and Sesbania in Balochistan, not only increasing local vegetation coverage but also providing food sources or animal feed, effectively boosting local people’s economic income. The Chinese Consulate General in Karachi implemented the “Lighting up Gwadar” project, installing 73 solar street lights to illuminate roads used by Gwadar fishermen at night.
The construction of the CPEC is inseparable from the efforts of numerous Chinese enterprises. While promoting industrial development and providing a large number of employment opportunities in Balochistan, they have also taken on the role of fulfilling their Corporate Social Responsibility with heart and soul, and have sincerely solved practical difficulties for the people of of Balochistan through various means such as building roads, bridges, wells, hospitals, schools, and donating materials. The Hub Coal Power Project, not only created nearly 10,000 jobs in Balochistan during its construction but also continued to carry out desert tree planting and coastal cleaning activities for many years, and helped build a fishing pier and a public welfare school. The Saindak Copper Gold Project built the only high school in the area, Saindak High School, providing free education to more than 600 students, and its project hospital serves over 4,000 villagers. Since its operation, the Duddar Lead-zinc Mine Project has newly built and renovated six surrounding primary and secondary school buildings and regularly assisted about 300 students in surrounding community schools with study and living supplies. The project has also funded the continuous maintenance of roads and bridges within 100 kilometers from Duddar to Winder and constructed a causeway, completely solving the problem of poor transportation during the rainy season in the Kanraj area, effectively ensuring the transportation lifeline in surrounding communities smooth.
“Of all the things that matter, people’s livelihood comes first”. In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the most important value orientation of the Chinese government’s governance is to further safeguard, improve, and develop people’s livelihood, striving to realize the people’s aspirations for a better life. The second phase of the CPEC will continue to uphold this development concept, making greater contributions to the economic development and livelihood improvement of Balochistan, benefiting more local people, and fully demonstrating the universally beneficial and inclusive nature of China-Pakistan friendly cooperation.
About the author. Mr. Zhang Hao is the acting CG of People’s Republic of China in Karachi.